BESUT, July 1 – The popularity of a candidate is not an assurance to win the hearts of voters in the Kuala Besut state by-election, the date to be announced by the Election Commission (EC) soon.
Besut Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said constituents in Kuala Besut were simple-minded people who would not be easily influenced or support anyone easily, unless the individuals concerned were known to them.
“I have known the voters in Kuala Besut, who are mostly fishermen, since a long time ago. They are easily swayed and have their own principles to decide on the choice of their elected representative,” he told Bernama here today.
He said this when asked to comment on media reports that the opposition would field a popular preacher, known as Ustaz Azhar Idrus (UAI), who is from Kampung Ladang, Kuala Terengganu, to stand as the PAS candidate in the Kuala Besut by-election.
Idris, who is Second Education Minister, said Barisan Nasional (BN) had laid out various plans for the people in Kuala Besut, but their implementation would be hampered if did not vote for the coalition.
He said Besut Umno would submit the list of potential candidates to be fielded as BN candidate for the by-election to BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak soon.
The list of names, include religious administrator, teachers, administrative officers and former senior government official and all of them are locals, he added.
The Kuala Besut by-election would be held following the death of its assemblyman, Dr A Rahman Mokhtar, who was the state Health, Women, Family and Community Development Minister, last Wednesday. He died from lung cancer.
– BERNAMA
